Art E-News

Fall 2013 IssueAdditional News and Perspectives for Friends of the Arts Get the latest news on upcoming art and community events, reception openings and informational essays that were not listed in the printed newsletter.

A Tour of the Barnes Collection in Its New Location

In April, the Friends of the Arts visited the Barnes Collection in its new location in Philadelphia. The Barnes Collection comprises artworks by European artists such as Matisse, Renoir, and Cézanne—housing more works by Renoir and Cézanne than any other collection in the world—as well as by Asian artists and African American artists. It also includes African artifacts, Pennsylvania Dutch furniture, and American Indian textiles.

According to Merian T. Sherrod, the art is displayed in rooms that replicate the rooms of the Barnes residence in Merion. All the rooms, artifacts, and pieces of art at the residence were measured by laser, and these dimensions and locations were replicated in painstaking detail in the new building. The Barnes Foundation is not a traditional museum; therefore, public viewing of the collection is restricted to designated days.

Albert Barnes's Vision for His Collection

Albert Barnes intended for his collection of more than 2,500 works to remain intact and on view at his residence in Merion, Pennsylvania. However, the trust set up to protect the collection was broken, and the Barnes collection was moved to Philadelphia.

In the Barnes Foundation building, the immersion in Barnes's theories is enriched by the unconventional presentation of the works, says Leslie Xavier. Barnes rejected any chronological or monographic organization in favor of tightly grouped artworks by different artists from different periods. His collection pushes visitors to grasp what he regarded as the deeper and more formally expressive affinities, such as the way a rectangle is organized, colors are juxtaposed, or brushwork is activated. The collection allows visitors to experience art in a way that Barnes described as seeing "beneath appearances to the reality underlying them."

Martha Jackson-Jarvis creates sculptures, site-specific installations, and corporate/public art projects. Her designs are executed with glass, stone, clay, wood, cement, tiles, steel, and mortar. She received an MFA in sculpture/ceramics from Antioch University and a BFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. She has also studied mosaic techniques in Italy. Throughout her career she has worked as a teacher and artist-in-residence at many institutions.

Jackson-Jarvis says there are no shortcuts in this type of work, and each project presents unique challenges. One of her favorite projects is installed at the Anacostia Metro Station, on the Green Line of the Washington, DC, Metro. The design was inspired by the Anacostia River and incorporates native symbols, aquatic plants, and indigenous fish.

New Galleries to Debut with Second BMRE

The Second Biennial Maryland Regional Juried Art Exhibition (BMRE), an exhibition of works by artists from Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, will serve as the opening exhibition for the newly renovated UMUC galleries, including the Herman Maril Gallery, Selma Oppenheimer Gallery, and Gladys Goldstein Gallery, this fall.

The BMRE will open to the public on November 3, 2013, and give visitors an opportunity to view the new look of the university's galleries. The opening reception will be a celebration of the past and a dedication to the future of the arts at UMUC; it is scheduled for Sunday, November 17, 2013, 3–5 p.m.

Caring for UMUC's Art Collection

The Arts Program spent the early part of the summer moving and storing works to secure them during the renovations of the Inn and Conference Center and fine-tuning the collection's focus and educational approach.

While the gallery space undergoes renovations, UMUC staff and visitors can experience art—and the work of the curatorial staff—through the works installed throughout the Administration Building. Additional art has been installed in and around the Common restaurant at the east end of the building. The works are a part of the university's permanent art collection and include works by some of Maryland's most talented visual artists. Until the reopening of all the Arts Program galleries in October 2013, stimulate your senses and add to your experience at UMUC through the arts and the new décor of the Inn and Conference Center.